Thirty-two youth, some putting on hockey gear and skating for the first time, received the hero treatment last Friday at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre.
Year two of the successful Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) program was launched and will run every Friday until March.
HEROS is a non-profit organization; its premise is to use the game of hockey as a catalyst to attract young people to a program offering support for education, self-esteem building and life-skills training.
The program focuses on boys and girls of diverse ethnicity from economically challenged neighbourhoods and is conducted in an environment of fun and safety where each child is considered to be a "hero".
HEROS Canada executive director Norm Flynn said he is excited to be back on the Coast for year two.
"We're up from 19 kids last year and we have a waiting list of more than 30, so it's just tremendous," Flynn said. "The kids were great and so attentive today during our opening session and were so excited to get their gear. It was just great to see."
Flynn said with so many kids interested in getting involved with the program, they could offer a second intake next year.
"We're going to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks. If some kids decide that hockey is not their sport and they want to go play soccer or volleyball, then we'll have some openings for others. If not, we'll work with all the kids we have this year and maybe look at a second intake for next year," Flynn said. "But if that is the direction, we're going to need more volunteers. You can only have so many kids on the ice at one time.
"The support from the Sunshine Coast has been overwhelming. I think that is evident by how successful this program has become in such a short time."
HEROS has chapters across the country and is opening a new one in Montreal and a third one in the Toronto area. Its major corporate sponsor is TELUS. Last Friday, a representative from TELUS was on hand to offer words of encouragement to the Coast youth and provide Flynn with a financial windfall.
TELUS has donated $1 million over the next three years to the program, making TELUS the largest supporter of HEROS across Canada.
"We'll be able to help so many kids across Canada, thanks to the generosity of TELUS," Flynn said.
Steve Podborski, international director of community sports for TELUS, said the financial support is a natural fit.
"It shows that we support the communities where we live and work," he said. "The HEROS program is tremendous in that it teaches youth life skills and team work. Kids are transformed through this program, and it makes a real difference in the community at a really personal level."
